Panchvati Garlic Dal (Mixed Lentil Soup) - A Healthier Choice


"Garlic Dal", similar to Lentil Soup, is a favored variation to Gujarati Dal, especially for the people of North India, and this particular Panchvati Garlic Dal recipe is a great wya to enjoy a bunch of lentils at a time! It is called Panchvati, because it combines the goodness of 5 different kinds of dals(lentils) and is deliciously flavored with garlic, spices, ghee, green chilies and quite a bit of cilantro. The mixture of dals gives this a nice thick texture, and the aroma of ghee (clarified butter) makes it a treat to consume even by itself, perhaps as a lentil soup! Combine the Panchvati Garlic Dal with parathas or plain Jeera Rice, and you are all set for a delicious meal!

Ingredients
I used 5 kinds of lentils in the recipe, but you can omit any of them depending on your taste and/or availability of the lentils.

1 cup toor dal (Pigeon-peas or Split Red Gram, yellow colored)
1 cup moong dal (Green Gram or mung Bean, split, without skin, yellow colored)
1/2 cup chana dal (Split, skinless black chickpeas, yellow)
1/2 cup urad dal (Black gram, split and skinless, whitish in color)
1/2 cup masoor dal (Red lentils, Split and skinless, pinkish-red in color)
6-8 cloves of garlic
2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 cup cilantro - chopped, and some more for garnish
1/2 onion - finely chopped
3 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
3 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp garam masala powder (indian grocery stores should have it)
salt - to taste
lemon juice - to taste
2 tsp black pepper powder
2 green chillies - cut finely

Method
Mix all the dals and pressure cook them with 6 cups of water in a pressure cooker until 5-6 whistles. We want all of them to be thoroughly cooked. Once that is done, remove in a bowl and blend them well in a grinder, spinning for about a minute or so, ensuring that all dal/lentils are broken down and a smooth puree is formed.

Take the chopped coriander and grind it with 1 tsp salt and 2 tbsp water to form a smooth paste.

Now take a pan, add the ghee to it, add the cumin seeds, green chillies and garlic, and saute for a couple of minutes. Then add the finely chopped onions and saute again till they turn brownish and glossy.

Next add the garam masala powder, turmeric powder, black pepper and the cilantro paste. Now add the lentils and fill up with sufficient water to achieve desired consistency. Mix everything well, then add salt and lemon juice according to your taste, and let it cook covered, for about 10 mins or so. Stir in between to make sure it does not stick to the base of the pan. When it becomes thick and starts boiling, remove from flame.

Transfer the dal or soup to a serving bowl. Garnish with chopped coriander and some more fresh black pepper if desired, and serve hot with Jeera Rice!

This Garlic Dal is a great way to fill yourself with some protein and fiber, and the beautiful blend of flavors makes it apt for a Lentil Soup recipe too!

Related Recipes:
Gujarati Dal
Mix-Vegetable & Coconut Milk Soup
Roasted Cauliflower & Bell-Peper Soup


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34 comments :

Anonymous said...

Looks delicious mansi! and oh boy, with all those lentils, it sure is healthy:)

-Annie

FH said...

Panchmel would suit it too, good one. I made a simple dal today too!:)
Hope you checked that site which stole your post, I left a URL in your last post.

Siri said...

Panchvati Dal - Nice Name Mansi.. this wud make a super soup too!

~ Siri

musical said...

Daal-chawal is the eternal comfort food. This panchvati daal looks good! Yummy!

Suganya said...

I can never cook a single type of lentil for dal. Moong and masoor for texture, toor and chana for body. Panchavati dal sounds like a celebration of rural, agricultural India.

Mansi said...

Thanks folks, I'm glad you'll liked it:) it tasted great, in fact, my husband said it's better than my gujju dal!!:D

Anonymous said...

that looks very well-done, and delciously healthy! I love lentils, and this looks like a great way to consume all of them toghether:)

thanks for the idea Mansi!

-Anthony

Anonymous said...

I've never heard of masoor dal..how does it look?? and where can I find it??

-Sania

Laura said...

(Sorry if this is a repeat, am having Blogger issues) This looks and sounds great. It is going into my to try file!

Dhivya said...

Nice recipe mansi... it would hav tasted good,,Thanks for sharing

Anonymous said...

HEALTHY TASTY FOOD.......LOOKS GREAT.AND MOUTHWATERING.THANKS FOR SHARING.

bigfish_chin said...

Hi,
Your DAL is so beautiful!!!
We always have DAL with "ROTI" here. :)

amna said...

dal itself is such a healthy part of the meal and to make it even healthier is such an added bonus :)

Rajesh &Shankari said...

wow..that looks soo good.

Anamika:The Sugarcrafter said...

Hi Mansi
Visiting your blog and am amazed at your blog content. Very well done, neat and lot to learn. Will surely pass by.
Panchvati dal - a very nice name, indeed.

Anonymous said...

this is such a nice daal recipe....funny though, even we call it Panchvati Daal. That name has been around for years in many Gujju cookbooks.

Cynthia said...

I'd be in dal heaven if I can have some of this. Look at the colour the turmeric gives - beautiful and rich.

Sia said...

mansi, dal is one comfort food i can never get tired of. with 5 different dals i just have to close my eyes to taste it:)

Rosie said...

I love the colour of your lentil soup and the greatest bonus it's all healthy!! Thanks for sharing this :D

Rosie x

Mansi said...

Big fish, Nags, Shankari - thanks for the beautiful feedback)

Cynthia - dal heaven seems to be ahealthy and nice place to be in!:)

Anamika - thanks for visiting girl!

Sia - you are right,5 dals really give it a unique taste and texture!

Sarita - maybe the gujju within me guessed it somehow:) hehehe..the name surely fits!:)

Rina said...

Mansi, That bowl looks gr8.. I like the presentation.. Thanks for this healthy bowl of lentil soup. You have used almost all lentils here. Bookmarked to try.

The Short (dis)Order Cook said...

I love making a big pot of soup to take with me for lunch every day. I have to keep coming up with new recipes though. I'll keep this one in mind.

I'd love to know which lentils are which. I know I can only get a couple of them easily (red or green), but what would you call them?

Mansi said...

Rachel - thanks for reminding me about the names! I'll edit the post too with this infi:)

Chana Dal (yellow) -Split, skinless black chickpeas
Toor Dal (yellow) - Pigeon-peas or Split Red Gram (can also be oily)
Masoor Dal (red) - Red lentils, Split and skinless
Moong Dal (yellow, tiny) - Green Gram or mung Bean, split, without skin
Urad Dal (pale yellow or whitish) - Black gram, split and skinless

The indian grocery stores should have them labeled with indian names, so keep this list with you:) hope this helps!

Lisa Turner said...

I am a big fan of mixed dal soup and this recipe sounds perfect. You post so many recipes that I am dying to try. Food can never get boring when there are so many ideas coming from so many kitchens. Thanks Mansi!

Saki said...

Mansi,

you mention garam masala in the method (yum ;) but not in the ingredients. How much should we use, please?
And thank you!
Saki

Mansi said...

Thanks for pointing that out Saki!:) I've edited the recipe with the garam masala in the ingredients:)

Tricia said...

that dal looks delicious. thanks for visiting my blog. i think i'm going to have to come back here often, your recipes look so good.

Anonymous said...

Dal indeed is a daily meal here in India...We take it almost everyday & different recipes are prepared out of it...I like a variant made with fish, which is very tasty...Your recipe also seems delicious!

Miri said...

I make Panchvati dal (which is in some ancient Neeta Mehta book I purchased long long back when I started cooking) and love the flavours.
Thanks for the reminder, its high time it came back to our tables...

Anonymous said...

Thank you Mansi.I made ur Panchavati dal twice within last weeks. I turned out simply tasty. my hubby loved it. Thanks for sharing.

Sonu:)

Mennula said...

Hi Mansi..
Tried the panchvati dal for dinner tonight and it was super yummy ! this one's going in my recipe book :)

kanch

Dazy said...

Can I seriously come over for dinner soon? ...... your recipe sounds so yummy.....

Sonia said...

Hi Mansi,

I have posted your Panchvati daal on my blog. Have a look when you feel free. Thanks for your recipe. :)

Tune said...

Hi Mansi, I have tried several of the recipe from your blog and we have relished each one of them. Thank you! There are several types of garam masala in the indian grocery stores. Is there a particular type or brand that should be used with Panchvati Garlic Dhal?